Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1887-02-12
fHB TRTO APPLIED.
President Cleveland Refa-
ses to Sign the Depend
ent Pension Dill.
Bis Views Given in De-
tail In 9 Message to
the House.
History Of Service Pension"
Given at Full Length.
The Document Not 0nly FaIly Repre-
senfs The Pr sldsnt's Idea Of How
the Nation's Bounty should Be
DIstrfbutsd. but Il Reclses
Many Chaptsrs Of
American History.
History Of Service Pension
Given at Full Length.


me Bspenaena Pensisn nul vsssea
WAsHNaxoM, Feb. 1.-The followins
| b the text Of the Presidents nezsaQ|
vstoinQ TIE Dependent Pension bill:
TO Ebs House Qf -
herewith return without nay approval
Hoaae Bill Ne. LAST. entitled An aol
| for the relief Of dependent parents and
honorably discharged soldiers and
sailors WHO are n0w disabled and de-
pendent upon their Own labor for sup
Kort.1
This is the frst general bin that has
been sanctioned BY Congress since the
close Of the late civil var permitting
pensions 10 soldiers and sailors uhC
served in thai war upon the ground oi
service and pressut disability alone,
and In the entire absence Of injuries re-
eeived by casualties or incidents Of such
service. While By almost constant leg.
islation since tbs close of this var there
has been compensation awarded for
every possible injury received as the re-
sult Of military eeFyice In the Union
army, and while q great nnmbeE Of laws
pas sed for that purpose have been ad-
msnisteged with great iiberalify, and
84N4
private e6ts to reach special eaaos, there
partuFe from the principle thus far ad-
hered 70 respecting the Unioa soldier,
that the bounty Of the Government in
the way of pensiJns IL generously be-
slowed when granted 70 teose Who, In
the military service and In the line Of
military duty have no areHtsr or less
disability. Bot it is . mistake toeuppose
that the service pensions such a. are
permitted By the second section Of the
bill under consideration are new 10 our
leRiHla'in0.
In 1918, thirty five years after the
close OF Ihs evolutionary var, thsFe
wers granted 70 soldiers engaged in that
struggle, conditional upon service until
the end of the var or for period of
not less than nine moaths. and requir-
inc every beneficiary under the act 10
be one who Is, or vho. by reason OF his
reduced circumstances IN life, shall be
10 need OF assistance from his country
for support.
Another law Of like chara ster was
passed To 1923, requiring service to the
close Of the revolutionary var, and still
another, passed in 1882, provides for
those persona not included In the pro-
visions Of the statute. but who served
two years ct some time during the war,
and giving pFeportionate pension TO
those Who served not less than six
msnths.
The service pension bill passed ct this
session Of Congress, 81 years after the
close Of the Mexican war, for the bene-
it Of the soldiers Of that war, rtqaiEe
some degree Of disability or dependency
or that the claimant under its pro-
visions should be sixty two years Of
age, and that in either case be should
have served sixty days or shall have
been aotaally engaged In the war.
Il viii be seen that the bill Of 1919
and the Mexican Pension Bill being
thus passed near the close OF the wars
in whish iis benefciaries we're engaged,
that the others, one 35 years. and the
ether 80 years after the terrain alton
OF such wars, embraced soldiers Of the
Mexican war and their widows up 10
June 80, 1885. 10 the number Of 1919.
This number Of pensions vas granted TO
tbs soldiers Of Q var involving much
hardship for the disabilities incurred
are the result Of such service, and Il
was not till within the last month that
the few remaining survivors were
awarded ssrvice pension.
The war Of the rebellion terminated
nearly twenty-five years ago. The
number Of men furnished for ita prose-
cution II stated 10 be 2,772. .408. No
oorree pondiua number Of statutes have
ever bean raised for every kind Of in
Jury oE dies bility incurred In military
service auyu here. Under the statutes,
56I ,576 pensions have been granted from
the year 1856, 20 June 80. 1856, and
more than 5000 pensions have been
added TO the rolls by private aots passed
TO met eases. many Of quesfi0rable
merit, among which The parsons Who
were quite advanced 10 aRe were e.
sumed 60 be cowparatively few In nun
Der, and whose circumstances. depend
enee and disabilities were clearly de-
fined, and coald be easily fixed.
The other isws referred 10 appear to
have been passed at . time % remote
from the military service Of the peFsons
which they embraced, that they we're
dssmed 20 supply presumption Of de-
psndeney and need.
The number Of enlisted msn In the
RevoiutieraTy var is stated TO be S09.-
79l, and In tae war Of 1872, 570,622, bat
it is estimated thes on account Of re-
peAted re-enIistments the number Of In
dividuals eaRaesd In these vars did not
exceed one-haif Of the number reprs
sentec By these figures. In the var
With Mexico the number Of enlistmsnss
10 reported to be 1880. which reBra-
sents . greater proportion Of ibdividu-
ais engaged than the reported enlist
ments in the two pFevi0as wars. The
number Of pensions granted under all
laws 10 soldiers Of tue Revelation is
given at cess; 10 tho soldiers Of the
War Of 1912 and th6ir widows, 6o178
On ths Grst dag Of Jaiy, 1855, SIS. .673
pensioners Of all classes we're apon tie
psusioa rolls, Of whom 306.6O5 were sur
Vivors Of the wsF Of the Rebellion and
their widows and dependents.
For the year ending June 50. 1881.
4 4Tb,000,e COO had been appEoprlaaed for
ne payment of pensions, and the
aun0unt expanded fox that purpose from
1861 10 July /, 1885. 10 ESQ, 8,624.6ll 81.
While tie Annually paying 0at OF sush
4 vass snm for psnsions already grant
Cd, it h nov proposed By the bill ander
Consideration, % award service pensions
10 soldiers ef ell waFB Ia Which the
y HlAEU 04NtE3 A1A4 24r+4 N4AA4A 49, aA4taA4~
Inc, ef eouHse, ths War Of Rebellion,
and 70 pay thoss entitled 70 benefis Of
thai aet, &12 or meath. So far - re-
lates 70 The soldiers Of ths late civil
waE. Tee bounty Il nfofds them b
given Is years earlier than Il has
been Furnished 90 the soldiers Of any
other wAr and before q large majority
Of its benshciaries are adsan1ed N aee
beyond the strength and vieur of the
prime Of life. e exnsls only DilitaFy
on naval ssryics of thrss manths uith@at
any reqairemens % agtual eneAasmsns
with an sneny IN bailie and without
tie sahjeelion 10 any aslnal dangers ef
gar.
The psnsioa Il awards is allosed 70
enlissed men Who have sudefed the
lsasi infuFy, disahility. l0ss OF damses
sf any kisd Insured o. IN any degree
rsfsKabis 70 thsiF military servioe. IN
eiuding ehnss whe newer reached the
frIaua a Al nrsd fnnaa AfaHhanoeA fFnm